Emotional Circumstances Surrounding Firing Of Popular Athletic Director

Healdsburg Patch (Calif.), Keri Brenner

http://healdsburg.patch.com/articles/outrage-tears-erupt-over-firing-of-hhs-athletic-director-jenean-bingham

A long lineup of Healdsburg High School teachers, students, parents and coaches — including former Head Varsity Football Coach Tom Kirkpatrick —  protested Wednesday the Sept. 7 firing of longtime HHS Athletic Director and Track Coach Jenean Bingham.

“It has become apparent to me that I need to speak the truth,” Bingham said in a prepared statement during the public comment portion of Wednesday’s Healdsburg Unified School District board meeting. “I need to stand up for the entire athletics department at Healdsburg High.”

Also let go in recent months were Head Tennis Coach Christine Mooney, Assistant Tennis Coach Val Cronin and Assistant Track Coach Travis Carranza.

HHS also lost Head Baseball Coach Mark Domenichelli last year after what Kirkpatrick said Wednesday was an extended conflict with high school administration. Domenichelli is now head baseball coach at Windsor High School.

“I am angry and disappointed at how one of my fellow colleagues has been treated,” Kirkpatrick said, referring to Bingham. “This was an unjustified and unprofessional dismissal.”

Bingham, head track coach for 13 years, said she tried for months to work with HHS Principal Chris Vanden Heuvel on athletics staffing issues, but without success. Vanden Heuvel could immediately be reached for comment Wednesday evening.

“Sadly, I have watched as coach by coach, the athletic chain of command was not used,” Bingham said. “[Vanden Heuvel] didn’t leave coaches feeling supported…Mark, Travis, Christine — and now me.

“In all cases, I asked clarifying questions, tried to be included in the process, but was thwarted,” she said. “And now, it has ended with me — an arbitrary and capricious ’firing’ of me!”

Board President Genevieve Llerena said she and fellow board members were not allowed to respond to the comments publicly Wednesday since the matter was not on the meeting’s agenda.

On Thursday, HUSD Superintendent Jeff Harding issued the following statement in response to questions about Wednesday night’s meeting:

“Personnel issues are kept strictly confidential and, as such, I am not at liberty to divulge the factors that contribute to any change in personnel,” Harding said.

“That being said, all personnel changes are made with considerable forethought,” he added. “We weigh many complex factors and make decisions that we believed to be in the best interest of our students.

“The school district employs 45 paid coaches each year, not including the many volunteer coaches who support our student athletes.” Harding said. “We are proud of the athletics program in Healdsburg and will continue to support our student athletes in the years to come.”

According to Healdsburg Junior High math teacher Pat Sabo, vice president of the Healdsburg Area Teachers Association union, one written complaint was received regarding Bingham, even though Sabo said she was told there were numerous complaints. Sabo said that under the union contract, complaints must be registered in writing.

“If they were just going to listen to just one complaint, Pat Sabo would have lost her job 30 years ago,” Sabo told the board.

Taylor Engelke, a varsity track team member, said she and her teammates were “unhappy” about the loss of Bingham.

“It hurts me to know that Jenean will not be my coach,” she said, as tears and sobs began flowing. Her parents, Lisa and Chip Engelke, also spoke to the board.

Chip Engelke said Bingham has helped both his son and daughter to achieve top honors in track and to attend highly competitive track meets around the Bay Area.

“She encourages them to do hard work and offers mutual respect,” he said.

Lisa Engelke said that she believed the root of the problem was a conflict among certain track team members and their parents involving harassment and verbal abuse of Bingham and other track team members.

“It’s been going on for a long time,” she said.

She and her husband and five other parents met with HHS administration in April to discuss their concerns about that and about the dismissal of Carranza. The administration declined to make what the group considered appropriate changes, she said.

Carranza, a former track team member under Bingham when he attended Healdsburg High, said he had witnessed parents of track team members verbally abusing Bingham at a meet.

“I approached the administration to try to get some help,” he said. “Why is it right for some parents to be able to verbally abuse a coach?”

Carranza said HHS subsequently “got rid of me,” giving him what he said was a unsatisfactory explanation.

“They said I was running with the athletes,” he said.

Hank Skewis, another assistant track coach, said he was “totally sick of this,” he said, referring to the conflict over Bingham.

“I can’t believe she’s been fired,” Skewis said. “She’s had great teams, wonderful teams; she’s very talented, very successful.

“I don’t know what the admistration’s thinking,” he said. “It baffles me.”

Healdsburg tavern owner Neil Cronin, HHS pole vault coach for the last four years and husband of Val Cronin, said Bingham was the person who first got him involved in coaching.

“I’ve never seen her be inappropriate,” he said.

Similar comments came from HHS Drama Teacher Brent Mortensen, who has worked alongside Bingham for many years, sharing an office facility and often sharing students who were both actors and athletes.

“She supports them and encourages them,” Mortensen said of the student athletes. “She’s very professional and very devoted and it’s been our pleasure to have her — most of my students will miss her greatly.”

For former Healdsburg track team member Phil Lucid, who graduated in 2008, Bingham had “a profound impact on my life,” he said.

“She didn’t expect us to be the best, she just expected us to do our best,” Lucid said. “It would really be a shame if she was not around for the students now.